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Eric Kunnen

Eric Kunnen's GRCC Space

Timely work related updates from the intersection of teaching, learning, and technology...

Eric is the Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His primary role focuses on providing leadership, support, and coordination of instructional technologies, classroom multimedia, distance learning, Blackboard, and emerging technologies for teaching and learning. He also supports faculty professional development around the application of technology in education.

A Multi-Faceted Approach to Establishing and Maintaining Online Course Quality

P130

A Multi-Faceted Approach to Establishing and Maintaining Online Course Quality
Thursday, November 10, 10:40 a.m.
Information Session – Concurrent Session 6 Faculty and Professional Development & Support Peter Testori (Bay Path College, US) Amber Vaill (Bay Path College, US)

Description:  Ensuring quality in online education is important to all stakeholders at any educational institution. This presentation will explore Bay Path College’s multi- faceted approach to establishing and maintaining online course quality; allowing faculty to retain academic freedom and ensuring consistency for students.

Notes:

  • What is quality?
    • Accreditation
    • Interaction
    • Consistancy
    • Assessment
    • ...

What are and how different are views of quality with: Institution vs Faculty vs Student?

  • Rapid growth and scalability create challenges for course quality and stakeholders' expectations.
  • Starting off on the right foot - Orientation Course for Faculty:
    • 8 weeks long
    • Mandatory
    • Facilitated orientation
    • Overview of online learning policies
    • Provides experience of an online student
    • Shared learning experience for instructors
    • Pedagogy of online education
    • Needs of online students
    • Student-centered approaches
    • Create and manage content in LMS
    • Assesments for online
    • Communication and effective community building strategies
    • Challenges of online teaching
  • Course Development
    • Supportive processes
    • Consistent course design (instructional designer assistance)
    • Proper utilization of LMS tools
    • Encourage use of backward design (learning outcomes to assessments to course content)
  • Review Process
    • Consistency is reviewed so their is a common experience for students.
    • Use of checklists and templates (extremely helpful)
    • Collaboration with ID (relationship based)
    • 2 phased review process includes collaboration with academic affairs
    • Intellectual freedom is still celebrated
  • Course Delivery
    • Ongoing technical and pedagogical support
    • Instructional designer assistance
    • Online student support coordinator (first line of defense for students and their support - allows faculty to focus on course, students, learning, content)
  • Reflection on process
    • Successes include: consistent experience, student satisfaction, satisfied and engaged faculty
    • Challenges include: reluctant faculty, post-course evaluation (faculty assess experiences of course for changes for next semester), adapting quality measures to a new LMS, scalability (growth can impact quality attention)

Instructional designer involvement begins at course development and continues through delivery to provide a continuous support framework and quality attention.

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